A major perk of belonging to the Philadelphia Dumpster Divers – that merry band of artists who have played, exhibited and produced witty, found-object art together since 1992 – is that we get to hang out in the area’s most creative homes.
Today our Unexpected Philadelphia website takes you on another Dumpster Diver photo tour – this time to the inspiring home, studio, and garden of Susan and Patrick Moloney.
Patrick and Susan Moloney with one of their ever-ready coffee makers
Linda Lou Horn always dreamed of becoming an artist.
So when the long-time nurse, elder care activist, and gestalt psychotherapist decided to radically change up her life at age 50, she marked the occasion with a two-mile free fall from an airplane.
Linda Lou with “Going Nowhere Fast” in her polka-dotted dining room.
Now the much-exhibited, found-object artist – whose art-and-imagination-filled home we profiled last summer – has landed in a one-woman show at Philadelphia’s Magic Gardens through August 28. Continue reading
Last fall we introduced you to the art-filled home and fabulous gardens of Philadelphia Dumpster Diver Randy Dalton and his longtime partner Michael Martin Mills.
(Michael Martin Mills, left, and Randy Dalton in their always summery dining room.)
And, yes, you can still tour their house and garden on our website, and read the blog post about them here.
RANDY’S BLUE GROTTO
But Randy had a magical surprise up his always blue sleeve – one we planned to interview him about later this year: His Blue Grotto art environment.
(Randy’s Blue Grotto contains hundreds of blue lights, sculptures, found objects,
photos and more, in support of his “Do Blue!” campaign for the arts)
It’s tour time again!
Over the past 8 months, Unexpected Philadelphia has taken you to 8 inspiring, art-filled homes belonging to the Philadelphia Dumpster Divers – that warm and wacky band of artists and collectors who exhibit, socialize and produce witty, up-cycled art together.
Today we’re heading to the home and studio of Ellen Benson, sister of Divers’ co-founder Neil Benson, whose house we’ve already visited.
(Ellen in her living room with what she modestly calls “The Wall”.
About a third of the work is hers; the rest hails from around the globe.)
If you follow our Unexpected Philadelphia website, you’ve toured eight wildly creative homes and studios belonging to members of the Philadelphia Dumpster Divers – that merry band of found-object artists who prove (in the words of co-founder Neil Benson) that “Trash is simply a failure of imagination.”
(Divers take to the walls of the Dupree Gallery.)
And now through January 30, you can experience their work firsthand at Philadelphia’s Dupree Gallery in Queen Village.
If you follow Unexpected Philadelphia, our four-month-old website, you’ve toured six fabulous, art-filled homes belonging to our fellow Philadelphia Dumpster Divers – that eclectic band of found-object artists and collectors who exhibit, socialize and produce up-cycled art together.
Starting today, we invite you on a new tour, showcasing the inspiring home and garden of Michael Martin Mills and Randy Dalton.
INTRODUCING RANDY AND MICHAEL
Randy joined the Dumpster Divers at their second meeting in 1992. A found-object artist, gardener, and initiator of the “Do Blue” campaign to support arts funding, he has volunteered at Powelton Village’s Community Education Center since 1977, doing everything from serving on the board, to organizing exhibits, to stripping paint from yards and yards – and yards – of paneling.
(Randy makes lighted art installations that even passing airplanes can see.)
When we launched our Unexpected Philadelphia website this summer, we included behind-the-scenes tours of 5 wildly imaginative homes belonging to our fellow Dumpster Divers – that merry band of found-object artists and collectors who have exhibited, socialized and produced up-cycled art together since 1992.
Today, we’re adding a photo tour of the fun and fabulous home of George Felice, who joined the Divers in their very first year.
(The Divers’ 2014 annual awards banquet at Philly’s Famous 4th Street Deli – and, yes, that’s us at the far left and George at the top center. Photo by I. George Bilyk)
Unexpected Philadelphia 